Q. How many bloggers does it take to change a lightbulb?
A. YOU’RE CLEANING YOUR TEETH THE WRONG WAY! EVERYONE KNOWS YOU SHOULD GO FROM LEFT TO RIGHT YOU MORON!
That’s the kind of surrealism I’ve been encountering the last few days. There is a lot I could say. Maybe I should say it—after all, I’ve found myself being insulted and (willfully? I can’t tell) misunderstood—but you know, science blogging is a very small niche in a very small ecosystem in a great big world. And frankly, it’s not worth it.
Instead, I would like to say thank you to Cath and Bob and Eva for some nice things they’ve said elsewhere. And I would like to say a word about Bora Zivkovic.
I said that I didn’t read certain blogs. I said this was because of the comments that are made. Bora pointed out, quite rightly, that there are many of these blogs, and it wasn’t fair to use such a large brush. But the thing is that a little bad does tend to go a long, long way, and Bora has found this out first-hand.
Bora, as you probably know if you’re reading this, co-organizes the Science Online unconference in North Carolina each year. By all accounts the one this year was as amazing as the previous ones—I had the opportunity to go but decided not to for reasons that don’t concern you. A colleague went instead, and had a fantastic and useful time. Unfortunately, a single session at that event has become something of a monster, gaining more and more ugly with each re-telling (and version of re-telling). To such an extent that the entire event is in danger of being overshadowed. Rather like how a small number of commenters can stop me reading what might be very interesting.
This is doubly frustrating because in the recent Scienceblogs/Nature Network spat, I’ve noticed that Bora has tried very hard to be the voice of reason. Yet I’ve heard things that make me cold: people pissing on these very small carpets are having real effects in the real word. We might be a small part of a small part of something huge, but what we say here affects people. Pettiness, bullying, outright aggression—what place do they have anywhere, virtual or corporeal? There are people with hopes and aspirations and relationships at the other end of the long damp piece of internet string. We tend to forget that, I think. And Bora, I, for one, am sorry it’s been so smelly of late.
Like
That is all. For now 😉
Bora is just about the nicest person in the world, ever.
And I think I’m going to go crawl up in a tiny corner and die
Thank you so much, Richard. That is so nice of you to say.
Clearly I missed something, but I hope everything straightens out soon.
definitely surreal – and it has turned into a monster – a bit baffling IMHO. Rest assured that this scibling doesn’t have anything against NN.
Bora is certainly a mensch. That’s not much of a controversy.
This topic that seems to disturb you so much, whose continued presence seems harmful to you, may have a life of its own for a reason. It’s rather ironic that your opinion, being posted here, now, is valid, and yet the opinions of others, also expressed publicly (or on NN) are not valid.
At least that’s the way it seems. Or to quote a wise friend, regarding an internet imbroglio:
Listen, all I said was that this halibut was good enough for Jehovah. I did so forcefully – perhaps too forcefully. And yes, I do feel bad about it. But The whol episode has been blown out of all proportion, by a number of people, for their own ends. If it is the consensus that I wear sackcloth and sahes and stop blogging, or talking, or indeed existing, then so be it.
Henry, I don’t think the commenter @03.12 is talking about you.
{shrug}
I didn’t think they were, Richard.
Oh dear…
I’m not sure what Peter’s exact point is, but it’s certainly true that it’s rare that only one side is in the wrong. Well, unless they’re arguing with Bora, but that’s obvious in the present context.
Might it not be a good idea to stop rehashing this and let it lie? From the outside of it all, it does not seem to be going anywhere.
Indeed
I was blissfully unaware of the NN vv SciBlogs debate/ the SciOnline10 Gee Explosion – having spent most of the afternoon trying to catch up with it, I’m with Maxine. It does seem to all have been said. Who’s for a beer? Stephen C bought me a Guiness on Monday, so I feel I need to buy someone else one… Of course, you might have to come to Swindon for it.
Very decent of you, Brian. Mine’s a martini.
One of these, please, Brian, if you can find one.
aww. Cath, that is just mean. they are good! 🙂 [checking time and realising that this will sound bad US time being 11 am but in UK it’s already coctail hour 😉 ]
Richard> every once in awhile I get reminded that people are still people and internet just makes it easier to spread things around. It doesn’t say anything about accuracy or “truth”. It’s like those wikipedia inserts about vaccines that were published for a good long time for people to say “but it’s got a wikipedia space so it has to be true” ^^
Brian> any nice beer would be lovely, but sure if you twist my arm I’d like a good old-fashioned ale 🙂
Hmmm, I’m with Alyssa and Brian…I definitely missed something, but I hope it all
goes awayclears up soon.Åsa, it’s only 9.24am here, but by the time Brian either finds me some Granville Island beer or gives up and buys me something else, it’ll be beer o’clock!
p.s. this new one is their best yet, IMHO. The Pale Ale, Maple Cream, Honey Lager and Heffenweissen (sp?) are also exceptional.
17:29. And one of our salesmen has promised me a beer this evening.
I think you might struggle to get a Martini in Swindon… though perhaps I’m just being Oxford-ist, having grown up there when it was de rigeur to be snooty about Swindon and their football club. Can’t see you finding Granville Island ale either, though you might find this stuff from not a million miles away from Swindon. Perhaps Brian knows something more local?
PS Re. That Other Thing Of Ours (that we’re not mentioning), as someone who’s had to do a fair bit of mediating in my time, I have nothing but admiration for what Bora was trying to do. I think Maxine is right, though, about it being time to move on.
BTW my sister just sent me a very hastily typed email with her new address and instructions to check out how dodgy the flat looks on Google Streetview. She also said that the first thing she needs to do is set up her “Bora band access”… I LOLed.
Everyone needs Bora band! I need to set that up for my new place, too. Which is not on Streetview!! It’s in the middle of a street, and the part of the street north and south of it does have streetview photos, but the part where I am is missing! You can see the house in the distance if you’re on the edge of the part that still has photos, but you can’t be right in front of it. My current theory: secret military base in the house across the street, or royalty living next door. Probable real reason: photos turned out bad and they didn’t bother to redo them.
According to Google Earth, my flat is on a building site. I suspect we won’t be visible from Streetview, should they get round to setting it up here.
In Swindon we can provide locally Arkells, Moles, Ramsbury and Archers beers. All pretty good (my personal favourite is Moles).